Friday, March 5, 2010

SLAP Tear

The term SLAP tear refers to Superior Labrum from Anterior to Posterior tear. It may happen in ball and socket joints of shoulders and knees. The socket is completely shallow and therefore, the joint consists of labrum which is there for the end point of humerus, where it moves. This kind of tear happens to the area of the labrum, where it attached to the tendon, from. There may be several reasons for it. A sudden fall leading to overstretching of the arm or repeated movement of the arm in a very short span of time are the two common of causes. Sometimes, due to lifting of too much of weight that is beyond his capability, causes arms to get stretched so much that tear happens.

The part of the labrum which gets SLAP tear, is very likely to get hurt in comparison to its other parts due to the reason that other parts are capable of healing because of adequate blood supply. Due to this kind of tear, the shoulder pain really badly. Other symptoms may be pain getting into deeper areas of shoulder and strange painful sensations in the shoulder with particular movements. As the pain gets too much to bear with, it is better to get it diagnosed so that the treatment plan is made and implemented, for relief from this hard pain.

SLAP tear need to be diagnosed by an expert examiner who is skilled enough to diagnose it correctly. There are some tests that need to be performed to find the exact areas that are impacted. These tests also include physical examination tests. Also, the person is asked about the symptoms he had been experiencing since he got injured. To test difficult cases, MRI scan tests are done with the help of gadolinium injection given to the injured shoulder.

Diagnosis of Throat Cancer

Diagnosis of any disease or disorder is done with the help symptoms as experienced by the patient. Same rule applies for diagnosis of throat cancer. As you go for its diagnosis, your doctor would first ask about all sorts of symptoms experienced by you, mild, moderate and severe ones. Suspecting the issue to be cancer, he may also ask about your family history to know if anybody in your family had the same problem. He would then conduct a physical examination to confirm if these symptoms are really related to the main problem. He also finds out the intensity of these symptoms.

After the physical examination is done, he then would recommend some important diagnostic tests that would help him diagnose and finally confirm about the disease. These tests are endoscopy and certain imaging tests like computerized tomography test scan (CTT scan), positron emission tomography scan (PET scan) and magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI scan) test. During endoscopy, thin and long tubes with very tiny video camera are inserted to see the throat and entire respiratory tract. The areas covered for observation purposes are esophagus and bronchi. Tissue samples are also taken from the areas, when required. The entire process is shown and guided through a TV. All this is done under anesthesia. Diagnosis of throat cancer is done pretty well through this scan.

For complete diagnosis of throat cancer, other imaging tests are also performed as additional tests. They are done to determine the state of the cancer and the areas to which it has spread. Cancer spreads in other parts of the body, if stays undiagnosed or untreated. To check this, these scan tests are performed so that no stone is left unturned while the diagnosis is on. This helps in judging out the type and extent of treatment to be given to the patient.

Deficiency of Inositol

Just like choline, inositol is also a part of vitamin B family. So we can say that inositol is very closely similar to choline. Many reasons explain about this fact. Both, choline as well as inositol, are found in lecithine, though the quantities vary. Inositol acts as an emulsifying agent for fats. Since the body produces inositol on its own it does not need the same from external resources. It is assumed that inositol is produced by the bacteria present in intestines. Normally, it is found to be in very high concentrations in the body. But the high intake of caffeine may affect its concentration and even deplete it out from the body, causing deficiency of inositol. The resources you can have it from are, grains that are unprocessed, wheat germ, raisins, nuts and citrus fruits.

Inositol performs many functions like giving nutrition to the brain cells. It does this along with choline. It is very vital for bone marrow, intestines, hair and eyes. Not only this, it is also used to treat many disorders like athero-sclerosis. Those who are not suffering from the disorder may prevent it through the intake of inositol. It reduces cholesterol level thus, helping in prevention of many heart diseases and other related complications. It helps overweight people in losing weight. Those who want healthy, attractive hair and skin may consider having inositol. Also, it helps in treatment of eczema which has become quite a common problem these days. It is therapeutically used by diabetic patients. Due to its multiple roles, deficiency of inositol may lead to numerous problems.

Deficiency of inositol may cause eczema, eye-related issues, hair problems and increase in cholesterol. Die to rise in cholesterol level, the person faces greater risk of having many heart problems. People may gain too much of weight because of this deficiency.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Broken Nose Treatment

Broken nose treatment should be carried on with all the necessary precautions as single mistake can ruin down all your efforts. In simple cases, where the nose is not displaced from its original place or crooked, the patient may just need to be given pain killers or pain relievers and other treatments like application of ice. In case there is a major breakage of the nasal bone, the doctor would try to readjust the pieces. As this process may be extremely painful for the patient, he would do that under anesthesia. Though it is not necessary that he would be successful in this mission yet he would try his best to give the nose its original form.

If the nose bleeding doesn’t seem to stop, the doctor may give nasal packing aid to he nose. Even if the bleeding stops, don’t try to remove it. The doctor himself would remove it when required, in about 2-4 days. Along with the packing, the doctor would also administer pain-killers and antibiotics for relief and healing. If still, the wound does not heal, he would perform some tests that would help him diagnose the problem and find a solution to it. Depending upon the severity of accident, the broken nose treatment might take time. It either may help in very less time or may get prolonged.

The medications given during broken nose treatment may also vary according to severity of the case. Medicine like acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be given to treat the pain. One should consider strictly adhering to instructions and dosage of the medicine. Over dosage of these drugs may take heavy toll on one’s health. By the time you are undergoing the treatment, make sure you don’t rest anything on your nose, not even sunglasses or your very important specs. Mind this, until your nose is fine and back in form completely.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Treatment of Myasthenia Gravis

The treatment of myasthenia gravis is possible only after its correct diagnosis. The doctor first needs to understand exactly muscles of which part of the body are affected. The doctor then, adopts the required method of treatment which can either be through medications or surgery. The medication may commonly include cholinesterase inhibitors and immunosuppressants. These drugs help in reduction of autoimmune processes. Neostigmine and pyridostigmine are acetylecholiesterase inhibitors that enhance muscle function by discouraging down the enzyme cholinesterase activity. This enzyme is responsible for degrading acetylcholine. Initially, very low doses of the drugs are administered. The dosage is increased in accordance with the response.

Immunosuppresant drugs that comprise of prednisone and azathioprine are given to the patient for treatment of myasthenia gravis. These drugs are given in combination with other drugs that inhibit cholinesterase. As the patient starts with these medications, he should not expect sudden relief because they may take enough time like weeks or months before showing their effect. If the myasthenia case is severe then plasmapheresis may be given for removal of the culprit antibody from circulation. If these antibodies are not removed they are made to bind with the help of immunoglubulins that are administered intravenously.

When treatment of myasthenia gravis does not seem to be achieved through medications, surgery is performed. Thymectomy is the type of surgery that is performed to remove thymus. It is though, not necessary that it would work in every case. There are various approaches of this surgery through which the objective can be achieved. The ultimate objective of the treatment is relieving muscles from getting tired abnormally and enhancing their normal function. The treatment may take time depending upon the case. Some patients may not need medications for longer periods whereas some may require them for longer. Except in severe cases, the patients may expect a normal lifestyle after the treatment.